 | The most positive aspect of England's bowling was Broad's continued aggression and control |
It seems barely possible that West Indies could appear even less motivated and prepared than they did for the Test series but their batting exhibition at Bristol was one of the worst we have seen for a long time. When Paul Collingwood trots up to bowl his dinky medium pacers and takes 3-16 from six overs, you know something is up. Was the pitch a minefield perhaps? No - in this case it was careless, slip-shod batting against bowling that was straight but not menacing. Chris Gayle continues to set the depressing tone of their tour. A formidable one-day batsman, his is the wicket England really wants. Having seen his team slip to 7-2, Gayle breezed into the 20's with a six off Stuart Broad before Andrew Strauss introduced Graeme Swann in only the ninth over, still in the first Powerplay. Gayle duly launched the first ball out of the ground for a massive six but Swann, unperturbed, delivered his drifter and Gayle was bowled after atempting an ugly swipe. It really was an irresponsible shot by the captain, and it was little wonder that, apart from a stand of 63 between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo, his team failed to lift themselves. | 606: DEBATE |
The worst dismissal was the run out of Jerome Taylor who played a stroke gently off the back foot to extra cover and set off for a run, only to be sent back by his partner. Strauss simply gathered the ball and returned it to Matt Prior, with Taylor not even in the frame. West Indies were bowled out in only the 38th over on a pitch which offered a little bounce with the new ball, but nothing else. The most positive aspect of England's bowling was Broad's continued aggression and control. He took 4-46, and the ruthless manner in which he steamrollered the number 11, Ravi Rampaul, was mighty impressive. Broad seems now to have appreciated what steepling bounce he can gain from only just short of a length, and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who fell to him again here, will vouch for that following on from his unpleasant experience in the Test at Chester-le-Street. In the absence of Kevin Pietersen, England gave Matt Prior another chance to prove he can bat forcefully neart the top of the order, but he missed out again, steering a catch to Gayle at slip after some busy running between the wickets in his 11. No doubt, Prior will have another chance at Edgbaston on Tuesday - thankfully that will be the last match of this utterly forgettable tour.
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